Four Long Years
by Rain.E.Day
Summary: Winry’s two childhood friends Edward and Alphonse Elric had been cast from her world and into ‘our world’, 4 years later, Winry is happily married, but what happens when two young men resembling her two childhood friends arrive at her doorstep?
1. You Came Back

**Four Long Years**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of their characters…..**

**I do however, own Zeke and this story! **

**Anyways, this is my first FMA fanfic (well not really my first, but the first one good enough to put on here) So I hope you enjoy it **

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**Chapter 1- You came back!**

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Long blonde hair blew softly in the wind. Blank blue eyes that were once bright and clear stared silently ahead.

Nothing seemed to matter to this young girl of 18 anymore. Her grandmother she had once lived with had died, her dog she had had since childhood was gone as well.

Winry Rockbell, or what remained of her at least, lived all alone. Her two best friends in the whole world, who had been by her side for as long as she could remember, had disappeared off the face of the earth.

"Why have they gone?"

"Why did they all leave me here?"

"Don't they know how much it hurts?"

"Why?"

These questions filled her head constantly. She asked herself these same questions every day. She hopped out of bed and walked over to the mirror in the corner of her room. She stared at her reflection.

She looked awful. Her hair was a mess and looked as though it hadn't been brushed in years. She wore nothing but a white oversized t-shirt, what was the point of wearing anything else if she was just going to sit in her bed all day staring blankly at nothing as she had always done? Her face was as white as snow and she had horrible bags under her eyes. Her eyes were as dull as ever. She gritted her teeth and smashed her fist into the mirror, shattering it into a million pieces, taking her reflection with it.

She felt as though she was also being torn into a million pieces. She sunk to her knees and begun to sob softly.

Why was this happening to her?

Everything was fine, all of her friends and family were here one moment and suddenly gone the next.

Why did they leave her?

Why couldn't they just stay with her forever?

She couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and took a step out of her room, for the first time in days and walked onto the balcony.

The sun had begun to sink in the sky and the first star had come out.

Winry spotted a torch in the corner of her eye. She picked it up and put it on the railing. She flashed it on and off, as she had done many times before. This was a signal for her friends to return home.

Hours that seemed like an eternity passed.

"They're not coming." Winry whispered as she finally gave up.

She pushed the lamp over the edge and let it fall to the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're pushing those things!" Came a call from bellow.

Winry's eyes widened as she looked down to see a young man no older than 19 years old. He was dressed in casual clothes and had messy chocolate brown hair and sky blue eyes. He smiled warmly at Winry.

"Who are you….?" Winry asked slowly.

"Oh, I'm sorry! How rude of me!" The young man gasped. "My name is Zeke Glentworth."

Winry cocked her head to one side in confusion.

What was this boy doing here?

What did he come here for?

"I came here because I heard that you were an automail mechanic, so I was wondering if you would take on an apprentice." Zeke stated, as though he had read Winry's mind.

For the first time in a long while, a smile formed on Winry's lips. Finally, someone had come. She wouldn't be alone anymore.

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_Four years later…………_

"It's been four long years…."

"Since what?"

"Since I last saw them…..since I was deserted by everyone."

"And it's also been four years since I first met you."

Winry turned to her husband, Zeke. She smiled.

"That's right." She said. "Since you came into my live and gave it meaning again."

Zeke smiled warmly.

"The first time I laid eyes on you, I knew you would be the one for me." He said.

"The first time you laid eyes on me my hair was an absolute mess, my face was colourless, my eyes were dull and baggy and I was dressed in an oversized t-shirt." Winry added with a laugh.

"I thought you looked beautiful, even in that state." Zeke said with a smile. "But that's not why I fell in love with you."

"Oh stop it, you're making me blush!" Winry cried, putting her hands to her red cheeks.

Zeke chuckled and kissed his wife softly on the cheek. Winry smiled and turned to him.

"Winry….I've been thinking this over for a while now…." Zeke began.

Winry looked at him with questioning eyes.

"We've been married for almost two years now, the only thing that will make our marriage even better would be a child." Zeke finished.

Winry's eyes widened in shock.

"I-If it's too soon for you, that's fine with me." Zeke said quickly. "I don't want to pressure you into something you don't want to do!"

Winry shook her head.

"I…I just need some time to think it over…." She said.

"That's fine with me." Zeke said with a smile.

There came a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Winry called as she rushed to the door and opened it.

Her eyes widened in shock and she let out a gasp.

"Is that really……you….?"

Standing before her in the doorway were two young men around the same age as her. One had long blonde hair that was tied back into a ponytail, he was dressed in a plain white long sleeved shirt that buttoned down the middle that was tucked into some casual jeans. The other one had short brown hair and was dressed in a black tank top over a light green jacket and brown pants.

"Yes Winry, we're home." Said the boy with the brown hair.

Tears filled Winry's eyes. Her two childhood friends had returned home, at last.

"You really did come back." Winry said softly as tears trickled down her cheeks. "I always knew you would!" She wrapped her arms around the two young men.

"Hey Win, who's at the door?" Zeke asked, approaching the doorway.

Winry let go of the two boys and turned to her husband.

"Zeke, these two are my childhood friends who disappeared all of a sudden." Winry explained. "Zeke, meet Alphonse." She motioned to the brown haired boy. "And Edward." She turned to the blonde haired boy.

Zeke stared coldly at the two boys standing in the doorway.

"H-Hello." Al greeted.

"So you two are the ones who selfishly abandoned Winry here all by herself?" Zeke questioned, strangely calm.

"A-All by herself??" Al asked in confusion. "She has Den and Granny."

Winry looked at the ground.

"They're gone….." She said softly.

Al's eyes widened.

"G-gone?!" He questioned.

Zeke frowned.

"You still abandoned her here!" He growled. "You don't know what she's been through! Did you even consider how she felt?! Waiting for you all of these years?! You-"

"That's enough Zeke." Winry interrupted.

Zeke turned to Winry.

"I-I'm sorry…." He apologized.

Winry shook her head and turned to Ed.

"Edward…..why haven't you said anything…..?" She asked.

Ed sifted his gaze towards Winry. He looked her up and down. Nothing had really changed about her. Her long blonde hair hung loosely behind her back and over her shoulders and her blue eyes were as clear as ever. She was dressed in a dark blue t-shirt and light blue jeans.

"Hello……Winry….." Ed said softly.

Winry smiled.

"Welcome home, Ed." She said.

Winry gazed into Ed's eyes, they were as lovely as they always were. Zeke placed his hands on his hips and stared at Ed. There was something about the way that Winry looked at Ed that he didn't like.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Winry exclaimed suddenly, breaking the silence. "Ed, Al, this is Zeke my…."

Ed and Al looked to Zeke. Winry's smile faded, for some reason her heart felt heavy.

"Zeke is my…." Winry continued, for some reason something inside her was keeping her from telling Ed and Al that she was now married. "He's my….my…h….husband."

Al and Ed gasped.

"Y-you're husband??" Al questioned. "When did this happen? Winry, congratulations!"

"Thank you." Winry thanked.

Ed remained silent. Winry looked at Ed, just looking at him made her heart fell heavy.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both." Zeke finally said. "My name is Zeke Glentworth."

"Nice to meet you too." Al said with a smile. "I'm glad that you've been taking good care of Winry while we were gone."

Al and Zeke continued chatting. Winry wasn't listening to a word they were saying, she was too busy wondering what Ed was thinking.

Was he happy?

Sad?

Confused?

Angry?

Or couldn't he care less?

"So Ed, Al, where were you planning on staying?" Winry asked.

"Well….we were hoping we could stay here with you." Al replied. "But if it's too much trouble, you being married and all, we could find somewhere else to go."

"No, please stay here with us!" Winry said.

Al smiled and nodded. Winry turned to Ed.

"Of course, if that's what you want to do, Edward." Winry said.

Ed turned to Winry.

"Yeah." He said softly.

"Well, come on in then." Winry invited.

Ed and Al entered the house and Winry shut the door behind them. Ed and Al looked around.

"Nothing much has changed here." Al stated.

"Of course not, why would it?" Winry asked.

Ed plopped down on a couch, Zeke, Al and Winry did the same.

"Oh Ed, I almost forgot!" Winry exclaimed. "Do you still have your automail?"

Ed looked at Winry and nodded.

"I thought you would." Winry said with a smile. "So in my spare time I constructed a new set of limbs for you, since I figured you would have grown, which you have, a lot."

"Oh, thank you." Ed said.

"I'll attach them for you later." Winry stated.

"So boys, what have you been doing these past four years?" Zeke questioned.

"Oh, well….it's kind of hard to explain….." Al muttered.

Zeke looked at Al in confusion.

"It doesn't really matter, as long as you're here now." Winry said with a smile.

The room fell silent. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of crickets chirping outside.

"So Zeke, what do you do for a living?" Al finally asked.

"I'm an automail mechanic as well." Zeke answered. "But I'm nowhere as good as my Win."

Winry smiled.

"Oh, of course you are." She stated. "I think you're almost better than me."

"Nah, I couldn't beat you." Zeke said.

Winry and Zeke smiled at each other.

Ed stood up.

"I'm going to take a walk outside." He stated as he walked out the front door.

Winry stood up and hurried after him.

"What's your problem Ed?!" She questioned. "You leave me for four years and you can't even talk to me?!"

Ed turned to face her.

"Do you even care about me?!" Winry yelled as tears formed in her eyes. "Why can't you stop sulking and just be happy for me?!"

"Who said I was sulking?!" Ed questioned.

Winry ran to Ed and hugged him tightly. She started sobbing softly.

"Winry??" Ed asked.

"Ed you fool, do you have any idea how worried I've been about you…?" Winry whispered.

"You know we always come back….." Ed said softly.

Winry let go of Ed and look up at him.

"Hey, you're even taller than me now." She observed, smiling slightly.

"Yeah." Ed agreed.

There was an awkward silence.

"So what do you think….?" Winry asked.

Ed looked at Winry with a confused expression.

"About me being married?" Winry looked up at Ed, waiting for an answer.

"Well I think it's good." Ed answered. "You've had someone to look after you while we were gone, someone who can make you happy."

For some reason, hearing Ed say those words made Winry fell as though her heart was being ripped into two.

"Well we should get inside before your husband gets worried about you." Ed said as he headed towards the door.

_Your husband._

How Winry wished she could never hear Ed say those words again.

Ed walked inside. Winry followed after behind him.

Al and Zeke were sitting on the couch chatting away. Ed joined them on the couch. Winry stared at them silently.

"Hey Winry, are you just going to stand there day dreaming all day?" Ed asked.

Winry looked at Ed and shook her head.

This was all too good to be true. Maybe this was all a dream. If it was, Winry didn't want to wake.

Winry sat down next to Ed and pulled on his cheek.

"Ouch! What the hell are you doing?!" Ed questioned, catching the attention of Al and Zeke.

Winry pinched her own arm, leaving a mark there.

"You really are here, it isn't a dream….." She confirmed.

"Of course I'm really here." Ed said.

Zeke looked to Winry. For some reason he felt as though Winry was attracted this 'Edward'. The way she looked at him and talked to him made Zeke fell uneasy. But Winry was married to Zeke, she was in love with him, and there was nothing Ed could do to change that.

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**Authors Note: Okay everyone, that was chapter 1, I really hope you liked it. Reviews will be greatly appreciated. Please no flames, helpful criticism is welcome though. **

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	2. Automail

**Hello again! Thank you for sticking with it so far, and for waiting patiently for chapter 2! I hope you enjoy it Oh and please excuse the rather crappy chapter name…..I'm not to good at thinking of name's for stories/chapters XD**

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**Chapter 2- Automail**

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"Hey Ed, how about I attach your limbs now?" Winry suggested.

"Okay, why not?" Ed agreed.

"Okay then, take off your shirt and jeans and I'll go get the new automail for you." Winry said, walking off.

Ed proceeded to take off his shirt and his jeans. -He obviously has boxers underneath his jeans, just in case you were wondering-

Zeke took a good looked at Edward. His right arm and left leg were both artificial. He took a close look at them.

"Definitely Winry's work." He confirmed.

Ed turned to look at Zeke.

"It seems like you know her pretty well." He stated, his tone was neither snooty, angry or sarcastic.

"Yes, well I have known her for four years now." Zeke said, matter-of-factly.

"Well, Al and I have known her since the day we were born." Ed said, sitting down on a chair.

"But you haven't seen her for four years, she's probably changed a whole lot since you last saw her." Zeke shot.

It was like he was trying to make a point.

Ed shrugged his shoulders.

"It doesn't really matter to me." He said. "She'll always be the same Winry to me."

Zeke clenched his fist.

"Okay, I've got them!" Winry announced, stepping into the room carrying an automail leg and arm.

Ed stood up and walked over to her, he was a bit off balance since his current leg was a little too short for him. Winry took the automail leg she had in her arm and put it beside Edwards's real leg.

"Yup, this seems about right." She observed.

Ed blinked as he was pushed onto a chair.

"Are you ready?" Winry asked.

Ed looked at her and nodded his head. Al stood up and headed towards the door.

"Hey Alphonse, where are you going?" Zeke questioned.

"I'm going to wait outside until brother's automail is attached." Al answered, turning his head to face Zeke. "I don't like seeing my brother in so much pain…."

Zeke nodded, he understood how Al felt.

Al put his hand on the door handle and turned it, opening the door. He walked outside and sat on the front porch. He stared up at the sky.

"I forgot how nice it is here in Risembool…." He said softly.

Al heard his brother cry out in pain. He sighed.

"Poor brother…..we got my body back…..but we didn't manage to get his limbs back…." He muttered as he hugged his knees and pulled them to his chest. "But I will get them back for you one day…."

The door swung open, hitting Al on the back.

"Ouch!" Al cried as he moved out of the way of the door.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Al!" Winry apologized as she stepped out onto the porch. "I didn't know you were there, but it's your own fault for sitting in front of the door!"

Al rubbed his back in pain and nodded.

"Anyway, I just came to let you know that Ed's automail is attached and he's just having a sleep now." Winry stated.

Al nodded and looked away.

"Is something the matter Al?" Winry asked.

"No…..nothing's wrong…." Al lied.

Winry frowned and grabbed Al's shoulders roughly and turned his head to face her.

"Now you listen to me Alphonse Elric, you've been gone for four years! Four years! And you expect to just show up here and keep everything to yourself?!" Winry yelled. "I don't expect you to tell me where you've been these past years, but I do expect you to tell me if something's bothering you, you got that?!"

"Y-yes!" Al stuttered with a terrified expression on his face.

Winry let go of Al's shoulders and sighed. She sat down next to him.

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong or not?" She asked.

"I just….feel terrible about Ed's automail…" Al said hesitantly. "Ed finally got his limbs back….but then he risked everything to get my body back, so his limbs were lost again….."

Winry looked at Al.

"I just don't think it's fair on brother." Al said softly. "I get to have my body back and yet he still has to live with his automail…."

"Al…." Was all Winry could say, she wanted to comfort Al, but she didn't know what to say. She searched her mind for the words, but nothing came to her.

"It doesn't matter though, I will return brothers body back to normal." Al said with a determined look on his face.

Winry sighed heavily.

"Can't you just stay put for once…..?" She murmured. "I finally get you two back home and then you talk about leaving me again….?"

"But you have your husband now." Al stated. "And I'm sure he wouldn't want us hanging around."

Winry sighed once more, everything was getting too complicated. She didn't want to lose Ed and Al, but she didn't want to lose Zeke either. She knew that sooner or later she would have to make a choice.

Besides, it wasn't as if she'd never see Ed and Al again if they left for a little while.

"But if you do leave again, you have to come and visit me every now and then." It sounded more like an order than a suggestion.

"Of course we will." Al said, a smile appearing on his lips.

Winry smiled back.

"Winry!" Zeke called from inside.

Winry stood up.

"I bet he's going to ask me to cook dinner." She said more to herself than Alphonse. "Do guys ever think of anything but their stomach?"

She opened the front door and walked inside, Al followed after her.

Zeke headed over to Winry and opened his mouth to say something.

"Let me guess, you're getting hungry, right?" Winry guessed. "So I'll start making dinner now."

Zeke chuckled.

"How can you always tell what I'm thinking?" He asked.

"I'm your wife, I know everything." Winry teased as she stuck out her tongue to him.

Al watched the two of them, they seemed so close. He realized how much of Winry's life he had missed.

"Winry…..I'm sorry…." Al said softly.

Winry and Zeke looked at Al in confusion.

"We missed so much…." Al continued. "I'm sorry…."

Winry shook her head.

"That doesn't matter." She said. "As long as you're here with me now."

"We didn't mean to take so long to come back….." Al admitted. "We tried to come back sooner..."

"Al, it's alright." Winry said. "Don't beat yourself up about it, at least you came."

Al nodded.

"I'm going to start dinner now." Winry said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Alphonse, I'm the one who should be apologizing." Zeke said.

Al looked at Zeke.

"Why?" He asked.

"I said some awful things before…..but I didn't even think about you and Ed and what two have been through…." Zeke began. "I know you didn't mean to abandon Winry here, and you didn't know she was all alone."

"It's okay." Al said with a smile.

Zeke smiled back and nodded.

"Hey….." Came a voice from the stairs.

Zeke and Al looked to the stairs to see Edward standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ed!" Al cried as he ran to his brother. "What are you doing? You should be resting, you're probably still in a lot of pain from the automail."

"Nah, I'll be alright." Ed stated.

"Edward!" Winry growled as she walked out of the kitchen. "Get back upstairs right this second or I'll get out my wrench."

"Jeez, is that how you treat someone who's just been in major surgery?!" Ed questioned.

"No arguments! I'll bring you your dinner upstairs, okay?" Winry stated.

Ed grumbled something to himself and walked back upstairs.

"He's still as stubborn as ever, eh Al?" Winry giggled as she looked to Al.

"You got that right." Al said.

"Some things never change…." Winry said to herself as she entered the kitchen.

Zeke looked at Winry, his heart felt heavy. Maybe she was actually in love with Ed and not him.

When the sun began to set, Winry called Zeke and Al to the table for dinner.

"I'm going to take Ed's dinner up to him." Winry said, taking a plate of food upstairs.

She walked over to 'Ed's room' and knocked on the door.

"I'm coming in!" She called as she opened the door.

Ed was sprawled out on the floor, snoring softly, drool hanging out of his mouth. He was sleeping soundly. Winry sighed in annoyance.

"Jeez Ed, you're going to catch a cold if you stay down there….." She mumbled as she knelt down to Ed and stared at him.

He looked so peaceful and….cute! Winry's cheeks turned slightly pink. She gasped and shook her head.

"No, I can't be thinking these things!" She said a little too loudly. She quickly covered her mouth and prayed that Ed didn't hear her.

She looked at Ed, who was still fast asleep. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Winry……I'm sorry……" Ed said softly.

Winry jumped slightly, Ed was still asleep so he must have been sleep talking.

"So Ed was feeling bad too….?" Winry said as a smile formed on her lips. "He really does care…."

Winry pulled the blanket off the bed and placed it on Ed's sleeping figure.

"Sleep tight Ed." She whispered as she picked up Ed's plate and brought it downstairs.

"Is brother sleeping?" Al asked, looking at Winry.

Winry nodded.

"Wow, I'm surprised!" Al exclaimed. "I can't believe he slept through that, he never sleeps when theirs food around!"

"He must've been pretty tired." Winry stated, bringing the plate back into the kitchen and putting it in the fridge.

She sat down at the table and started eating the meal that was placed in front of her.

"Wow! This tastes great, Winry!" Al complimented.

"Thanks." Winry said with a smile.

"I think she gets better each time she cooks!" Zeke chirped.

Winry grinned.

"You really think so?" She asked.

Zeke nodded and continued to eat his meal.

"I'm done." Al announced, picking up his plate and walking into the kitchen.

"Just leave your plate in the kitchen Al!" Winry called. "I'll wash it up later!"

Al placed his plate in the sink and walked out into the lounge room. He plopped down on the couch and sighed.

_Winry seems so happy here…._ He thought. _Maybe it would've been better if we didn't show up at all….._

The following morning, everyone was awake, except for Ed.

Winry was in the kitchen washing the dishes, humming to herself.

Zeke and Al were sitting on the couch watching TV (A/N: TV's would probably be invented by now and if they're not….too bad, they are now XD).

"Who are you calling so small you have to take extra care not to step on!!!" Edward screamed from his room, loud enough for Winry, Al and Zeke to hear.

The whole house fell silent for a moment. Winry giggled. Al sighed.

"Well, at least he doesn't have to worry about short jokes anymore, hey Winry!" Al called to Winry.

"Yeah! He's even taller than me now!" Winry called back.

"I guess he was just a late bloomer!" Al stated.

"Who's a late bloomer…….?" Asked a sleepy Ed from the doorway.

Al turned around to face his brother.

"Oh, no-one." He lied.

Ed yawned and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Good morning sleepy head." Winry greeted, peeping her head out from the kitchen. "I'm surprised, you even slept through dinner!"

"I did…..?" Ed asked. "You mean it's morning already……..?"

"Yeah, only just." Al replied. "It's about 11:30."

"Oh….really…….?" Ed murmured as he plopped down on the couch.

"I'll get you something to eat." Winry said, going back to the kitchen.

Zeke stared at Edward, he looked deep in thought. Ed noticed that he was being stared at, but decided to ignore Zeke, since he was too tired to care. Al also noticed, but, however, decided not to ignore it.

"S-so, Zeke." Al spoke up, trying to catch Zeke's attention.

It worked, Zeke broke his gaze from Ed and turned his attention to Alphonse.

"U-um, so, how do you like it here in Risembool?" The first question that popped into Al's head.

Zeke nodded his head slowly.

"Well, of course I do." He said. "If I didn't, why would I be here?"

Al laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Ed, get in here!" Winry more ordered, than suggested.

Ed groaned softly and rose to his feet, walking into the kitchen, dragging his feet lazily as he walked along.

"Whaaaat?" He mumbled.

"Aw, is poor widdle Eddie tired?" Winry teased. "You were out for half the day, how can you still be tired?"

Ed shrugged his shoulders, it didn't even look like he was listening to a word Winry said. Winry laughed.

"What's so funny….?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"You haven't changed a bit, Ed." Winry stated, smiling warmly. "I'm glad."

"Why would I change?" Ed placed his hand on his hips and stared at her. "What did you want, anyway?"

"Oh, I was just letting you know that I cooked you some breakfast." Winry said. "It's on the table."

"Okay, thank you." Ed said, heading over to the table not too far from the kitchen.

Winry watched Ed sit down at the table. She also watched as he started to eat his food. A small smile formed on her lips. How'd she had missed him while he was away. She was so glad that he was finally home.

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**Authors Note: Well, that's it for chapter 2! I sure hope you enjoyed it! Reviews will be greatly appreciated! **

**Oh, and it'll probably take me a while to update this fanfic since all my ideas for this are scattered and I'm not really sure how to put them all together XD **

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